A Good Ride

I'd have to say that last night's ride was a good one. I got on (more perfect mounting) and Elle seemed forward and interested in work. She trotted off with only leg, no spur, but was also very sensitive to her halts. It felt good.

We made our way around for a while and then started to do some real work. I'm having a lot of trouble going to the left with her - it's like she doesn't know how to travel that direction. At the trot, she constantly wants to counterbend and pop the left shoulder in. We worked on some leg yields and me riding very straight rather than always having her bent, but honestly I just never got the right feeling. When I take that lesson with Lisa, that's going to be something I bring up.

Right lead canter was great; I even asked her to pick it up off of a loose rein once she was a little tired. I couldn't complain at all, and we even went for a big canter around the whole ring. The left lead canter, not surprisingly, left something to be desired. I've always had trouble bringing her around on a circle to the left, and last night was actually better than it normally is, but not great. It got me to thinking. She was really dropping her shoulder and bulging around the corner. I thought about my shoulder and realized my left one was completely dropped and that I was probably leaning in through the turn (or what I was trying to make into a turn.) I decided to try a form of "arching my back," which is like one of the 7 sins when it comes to riding and being soft. However, what I was really doing was lifting my shoulders and bringing my shoulder blades closer to each other, while leaving my back soft. Let me tell you, it really worked! So, that's what I'll be working on; maybe I'll get one of those Shoulders Back devices...